Public Wi-Fi hotspots have become ubiquitous in developed countries and have started to increase in popularity in the developing world. Globally, total public Wi-Fi hotspots are predicted to grow sevenfold from 2015 to 2020, from 64.2 million in 2015 to 432.5 million by 2020. Additionally, consumers are beginning to expect the availability of public Wi-Fi hotspots. Travelers, for example, are expecting free public Wi-Fi hotspots as an essential to their stay and liken it to being as necessary as being able to take a shower. Recent travel surveys found that 94% of consumers cite free public Wi-Fi as the most important amenity.
One of the greatest drawbacks associated with providing free public Wi-Fi hotspots to consumers is the associated cost. Public Wi-Fi hotspots requiring a network connection, which usually presents a fixed monthly cost, as well as maintenance and hardware expenditures. There is also the expenditure associated with the initial setup of the network connection. At a time when many businesses are looking to lower their costs in order to increase profitability, it can be difficult for certain businesses to justify the cost associated with purchasing, setting up and maintaining a free public Wi-Fi hotspot.
One solution to this problem that has become popular among business owners is to set up a system that requires end users pay for the network connection. Typically, this solution entails programming the system (including the router and/or connected access points) to present the end user, upon initial connection, with a page that requires the user must enter electronic payment information (such as credit card information) into an interface. After the system processes payment, the system then manages the Internet connection. Thus, in order to effectuate this solution, the business entity must build a payment gateway, an authentication and authorization system, and an Internet connection management system. The aforementioned system, however, is complicated to set up and expensive to build and maintain.
Therefore, a need exists for improvements over the prior art, and more particularly for more efficient methods and systems for providing free public Wi-Fi hotspots to consumers.